Charlotte Figi, the young girl for whom the cannabidiol (CBD)-rich Charlotte’s Web cannabis strain is named, has passed away at the age of 13.
Charlotte Figi’s story spawned a CBD movement, opening the eyes of people across the United States and around the world to the medicinal properties of cannabidiol and how it can change the lives of people with epileptic conditions.
Charlotte was born with a rare form of epilepsy known as Dravet Syndrome, which caused her first seizure when she was only three months old.
Seizures began increasing in frequency and severity over time, with each one lasting up to four hours.
Charlotte started to show signs of cognitive decline over time, and after numerous appointments with physicians, she was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome.
By age 5, Charlotte was having up to 300 seizures a week, which stopped her heart several times and eventually prompted doctors to put her into a medically-induced coma to allow her body to rest and recover.
But Charlotte’s life changed after her parents began giving her R4 cannabis oil, which had immediate results, eliminating her seizures in the first week and reducing their frequency afterward.
Looking for a long-term supplier of cannabis oil, the Figi family contacted the Stanley Brothers in Colorado, who would create the CBD-rich, low-THC strain famously known as Charlotte’s Web.
Charlotte’s parents Paige and Matt began giving her 30:1 CBD to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of Charlotte’s Web, which worked very well at controlling her seizures.
In the time since the creation of Charlotte’s Web, there have been compassionate legislative changes made to allow for its use and many stories from epileptic children whom it has helped.
Paige, the Stanley Brothers, and Heather Jackson also founded the cannabinoid therapy research and education-focused non-profit Realm of Caring, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Paige recently posted on Facebook that the Figi family was battling a serious illness, requiring hospital care for Charlotte.
But only days after Paige wrote that Charlotte had been discharged from the hospital on April 5, a family friend posted to Paige’s wall that Charlotte was “no longer suffering. She is seizure-free forever.”
“Thank you so much for all of your love,” she wrote. “Please respect their privacy at this time.”
Realm of Caring on Facebook wrote, “Your work is done Charlotte, the world is changed, and you can now rest knowing that you leave the world a better place.”
